CHINA – A second oil spill on the other side of the globe threatens wildlife and international waters!

CHINA – A second oil spill on the other side of the globe threatens wildlife and international waters!

China has an oil spill of its own to worry about now. A pipeline owned by Asia’s largest oil and gas producer, China National Petroleum Corporation, exploded last week at the northeastern port of Dalian, sending oil gushing into the Yellow Sea. Environmentalists are now wondering if the government has disclosed the full extent of the crisis.

The environmental group Greenpeace has told BBC the oil was up to 20cm thick along parts of the coast near the city of Dalian. There are growing fears and concerns that strong winds have dispersed the pollution more widely than previously thought.

The environmental group has said that it is too early to tell what impact the pollution might have on marine life.

“In terms of what is known to the public, this is definitely the biggest Chinese oil spill,” the spokeswoman for Greenpeace Chine, Yang Ailun, said.

“Government and business leaders have been telling the media there’s no environmental impact. From Greenpeace’s perspective, that’s very irresponsible. It’s too early to tell,” she added.

The oil spill has also raised concerns over supply issues. Oil shipments from the port of Dalian have slowed. Usually 30,000 to 50,000 tones of oil for use in factories in the south leave the port each day.

Reserves in the south are reported to be ample at present – enough to guarantee 10 days’ supply – and the oil price in that part of the country is stable.

This is the second disaster to strike China in a short period. In the far south of China, another spill – of toxic wastewater from a copper mine in Fujian – contaminated drinking waters in two populous provinces. The spill happened on July 3 but officials failed to reveal the disaster until July 12.